I daydream about being one of those people who sits at a writing desk all morning long, looking out an antique window across a foggy pasture. I sit there until I hear my doorbell ring and then I leave my desk to welcome in a visitor who spontaneously dropped by for a cup of tea. While my kettle heats I twist the lid off a ceramic jar filled with freshly baked cookies. Cookies which I had baked for just such an occasion. My guest and I chat over steaming cups of Earl Grey and eat cookies before lunch - because we can.

In reality, I make cookies, I take pictures of them, and I give them to anyone and everyone I happen to meet. My purse is a makeshift cookie jar. Though reality does not include as many leisurely mornings and casual callers as I would wish, it does include cookies and lovely people with whom I can share them.

Cookies are so much fun to share, especially when they are packed with buttery pistachios, sweet dried cherries and lots of dark chocolate.

I like to chop my chocolate before folding it into the cookie dough. This ensures that every bite of cookie has chocolate running through it. Rich, roasted pistachios make these cookies extra buttery and a healthy dose of salt perfectly balances the sweetness of the chewy dried cherries.

Cookies have so many wonderful qualities, one being that they beg for creativity. You can add practically anything to a cookie and it will be delicious. Pistachios can be exchanged for pecans. If you happen to have some dried cranberries laying around they can easily take the place of cherries.

Dark chocolate can be substituted with…well, why would you want to replace chocolate?

Cookies can help us get through the toughest of Wednesdays.

Sincerely,

Pedantic Foodie

Salted Pistachio Cookies with Cherries and Dark Chocolate

makes about 2 dozen

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt

1 cup dark chocolate, roughly chopped

3/4 cup roasted and unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped

1/3 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In the bowl of your stand-mixer beat butter for 1 minute Add sugars and beat for several minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in egg.

In a large bowl whisk to combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in four installments; beating well after each addition. After all the dry ingredients have been added, fold in dark chocolate, pistachios, and dried cherries.

Portion the cookie dough into 1-ounce balls and place several inches apart on a lined baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the edges are deep golden brown. Transfer the warm cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool. Enjoy!

I am delighted that you are here! My name is Ashlyn Bowden and I am The Pedantic Foodie. I find familiarity, tradition, and inspiration in the kitchen, and this little corner of the internet is where I share my culinary shenanigans and try to force my workaholic, type-A self into practicing this thing I like to call Intentional Living. Can we bake pastry together?